‘What have you done’: Rohit Sharma commits ultimate cricket sin on Axar Patel’s hat-trick ball

Indian veteran Rohit Sharma will hardly be able to look his teammates in the eyes after an all-time howler against Bangladesh.

Rohit Sharma has had a moment he won’t be able to live down for some time as he denied teammate Axar Patel the first Champions Trophy hat-trick in 19 years after dropping what can only be described as a sitter.

The left-arm spinner struck twice in two balls after being introduced into the attack and Patel had his eyes on his first-ever hat-trick in any form of cricket.

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However, Sharma denied him a piece of history after his ball bamboozled new batsman Jaker Ali, who popped the ball up to Sharma at first slip.

Sharma had a golden opportunity to etch his teammate’s name in the history books but he inexplicably spilt his beans.

The 37-year-old pounded the ground with ferocious slaps and apologised to Patel who was understandably upset.

Commentator Harsha Bhogle proclaimed, “What have you done?”, while Mike Atherton said, “unbelievable”.

It would have been Axar’s first-ever hat-trick.

You can watch the shocking drop in the video player above.

Rohit Sharma drops an absolute sitter. Image: Prime

Only four Indians – Chetan Sharma, Kapil Dev, Kuldeep Yadav (twice), and Mohammed Shami have taken a hat-trick in ODIs and only one bowler has ever done it in the Champions Trophy – Jerome Taylor of West Indies in 2006.

Rohit joked after the match he may need to make up for it, clearly still shocked he didn’t hold onto the regulation catch.

“I may take Axar for a dinner tomorrow,” he said.

“That was an easy catch, I should have taken that.”

India's Axar Patel (pictured) has never taken a hat-trick. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)

India's captain Rohit Sharma said he couldn’t believed he dropped the catch. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)

However, it didn’t prove costly, although it did make them nervous as Ali used his second life to great effect.

Ali put on 154 runs – 68 of his own – off 206 balls with Towhid Hridoy for the sixth wicket.

Hridoy carried on and reached his hundred, not just his first in ODIs, but first in all formats, with his 100 in 118 balls including six boundaries and two sixes.

In reply, Shubman Gill led India’s chase with an eighth one-day international hundred and was unbeaten on 101 off 129 balls to clinch the match.

India finished on 4-231 with 21 balls to spare to kick off their Champions Trophy campaign in style.

Originally published as ‘What have you done’: Rohit Sharma commits ultimate cricket sin on Axar Patel’s hat-trick ball